In the heart of Saint-Omer, France, the recent Cool Neighbourhoods partner meeting at the Moulin à Café Theatre marked a pivotal moment for urban climate adaptation. Tako Popma, a key figure in the initiative, opened the event with a compelling overview of the project’s progress, highlighting its transformative impact across North-West Europe. Co-funded by Interreg North-West Europe, Cool Neighbourhoods unites local authorities and innovation experts to make urban areas cooler, greener, and more liveable, especially for communities vulnerable to climate stress.
Since its inception, the project has achieved remarkable milestones. Pilot activities have been successfully implemented in nine neighbourhoods across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Key deliverables like the Liveability Index, the Empowerment Guidebook, and the Neighbourhood Heat Stress Action Plans (NHSAPs) are now shaping local climate strategies. As Tako emphasized, “We’re no longer just testing ideas—we’re preparing to share them across North-West Europe,” signalling a shift toward broader visibility and long-term sustainability.
The Heat Is On
A highlight of the two-day meeting was Claire Koreman’s presentation from the Province of Antwerp, titled “The Heat is On: Understand to Act.” She introduced the NHSAP training tools, a flagship output of Cool Neighbourhoods, designed to help municipalities and communities combat urban heat. The NHSAP methodology enables local actors to identify heat stress hotspots using citizen science and sensor data, engage residents in co-designing solutions, and implement interventions like shading, greening, and water retention. Claire showcased how Antwerp piloted this framework, proving its flexibility and measurable environmental benefits.
These open-access tools—including training modules for municipal staff, community engagement templates, step-by-step action guides, and monitoring dashboards—are highly adaptable to both small towns and urban centres. “We don’t want to keep these tools to ourselves,” Claire noted. “They’re designed to be shared, adapted, and used wherever urban heat is a concern.” Ideal for local governments, urban planners, housing associations, NGOs, and EU-funded projects, the NHSAP equips stakeholders with practical steps toward climate resilience. Following its success in Antwerp, the toolkit will soon be finalized for wider distribution, complete with case studies and peer training opportunities.
Public conference
The momentum continued on October 9, 2025, when Saint-Omer and CAPSO hosted over 100 participants for a special Cool Neighbourhoods event themed “How to Make Historic Neighbourhoods More Liveable While Adapting to Climate Change.” This dynamic conference explored innovative ways to protect historic urban areas from climate challenges while enhancing liveability. Contributions from local authorities, European partners, and national experts covered urban heat mitigation, citizen engagement, and climate heritage adaptation, reinforcing the project’s commitment to community-led solutions.
As Cool Neighbourhoods moves into its capitalisation phase, upcoming plans include publishing the NHSAP toolkit online, offering replication workshops, and hosting training sessions for municipalities across Europe. The project’s growing focus on citizen engagement and local climate resilience underscores its potential to inspire lasting change. With historic neighbourhoods like those in Saint-Omer at the forefront, Cool Neighbourhoods is proving that even the most cherished urban spaces can adapt to a warming world without losing their unique character.
Find all the presentations of the conference here
Details and the complete newsfeed of the Cool Neighbourhoods Project are available on the offical web site: